UPDATE 1-Calif. water officials urge conservation, storage

(Adds governor's statement, byline)

By Leonard Anderson

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1 (Reuters) - California water officials reported on Tuesday that the water in the state's snowpack is at its lowest level in almost 20 years and called for conservation and more water storage to counter future dry years.

The final snow survey on Tuesday by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) showed that water content in the Sierra Nevada range is only 29 percent of normal for the 2006-2007 winter season, or 71 percent below normal, its lowest point since 1988.

"We must increase efforts to call for a much higher level of conservation ... in case next year is a follow-on bad year," Lester Snow, DWR director, said on a conference call with reporters.

California, however, is not yet at a crisis point because of past spending to improve the state's water infrastructure, including water storage, conservation, waste water recycling and other measures.

California depends on the snowpack to generate hydroelectricity, help irrigate agriculture, fill reservoirs and support recreation on the state's rivers.

The latest snowpack readings reinforce the importance of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans to build more storage facilities and other infrastructure, Snow said.

The Republican governor said the snow report showed the need for a comprehensive water plan.

"As we experience climate change and the resulting lower annual snow packs, it is critical that we increase the amount of runoff captured by building additional water storage facilities," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Without planning, he said, "we will not be able to sustain consecutive drought years and severe water shortages will have a grave impact to our quality of life and California's economy."

California "has gotten soft on conservation and must redouble efforts on the farms, cities and in the growing areas. Every subdivision that comes in has to have state-of-the-art conservation," DWR's Snow said.

Climate change may lead to more severe droughts and higher flood peaks that could threaten the loss of one-fourth of the snowpack by 2050, with some projections of up to a 40 percent loss, he said.

The water officials are also concerned by dry conditions in the Colorado River Basin. The river is a significant source of water for Southern California but has had below-average precipitation for seven of the past eight years, according to DWR.

Runoff into the Colorado River is estimated at about 70 percent of normal by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.